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User blog:TheAnonymous1/Nutaku Wars: Farewell, Sweet Prince
Decided to make a short story about the last few days (months) of the English version of MWA. Hope y'all enjoyed the game as much as I did. Prologue It felt like a joke at first, the announcement. No one really felt like the game was declining. If anything, everyone thought things were going well. Frequent updates compared to a year before, more new players popping up on the wiki site, all that jazz. Yet here you were, User. Standing here at the final moments of Millennium War Aigis. You've already gone through the Five Stages of Grief. At long last, you've learned to accept the fate of something you held so dear, even if it was just around 30 minutes of your day. You've decided to go log in one last time before it all ended. After a few moments of loading time, you hear that distinct login music floating into your ears... Capital City All the units you've obtained throughout the years were still there, doing their work with utmost diligence. You see Anna in the distance running towards you. "My Prince, welcome back!!" she cried, jumping into your arms as she did so. You feel a sharp pain welling up inside you as you realize this would probably be the last time you'd hear her welcoming words. "We all know that MWA is ending soon," said Katie, who suddenly appeared. "The devs notified us in advance. It just pisses me off that they did something like this so suddenly." This was the Soldier whose invaluableness allowed you to rise in levels during the earlier stages of the game, her stoic face unchanging ever since. "Katie here sure is acting tough," piped Jerome as he entered the throne room. "In reality, she's done nothing but cry since the announcement came." "H-Hey, don't give away that information like that, Jerome!" cried Katie, looking flushed. "Why? There's no reason to hide it." replied Jerome. "After all, it was only recently that you managed to fix yourself up." You chuckled at the thought of Katie frantically fixing her hair once she heard about you logging in again. And then it just hurt you even more. "So what are your plans, Prince?" asked your secretary. "Do you wish to stroll around the kingdom one last time?" You nodded. It would be a good idea to say goodbye to as many people as possible. "Alright. I'll be your escort for today." said Jerome. He went for the doors and gestured outside. "After you, your Highness." City Streets It was weird seeing the Kingdom still functioning after the shut-down announcement. You'd expect everyone to have abandoned their duties, but all the guards were present at their respective posts, merchants were still trying to sell their wares to anyone passing by, drunks in the pub still talking loudly as ever. In fact, you recognize a few of their voices. "Well, lookie here!" said a familiar Bandit King. "If it ain't his Majesty, gracin' us with his presence! Ta what honor does this wee band of drunkards owe this fine meetin?" "Hello, Conrad." said Jerome. "You've looked.....drunker." "Haha!" bellowed Conrad, looking over to Mortimer and the others. "Ya hear that, lads? This Capital City pup thinks he's a comedian of sorts!" "Real funny methinks, boss!" agreed Mortimer. "Hey, quit your yapping!" shouted a red-haired beauty across the pub. "The smell of your breaths makes me wanna puke!" "Well, aren't ya fine-smellin' yerself, Lyla?" said Conrad. "An' don't worry. We ain't plannin' on causin' trouble fer today. Last day an' all." It makes you smile knowing that despite being the same ruffian that he's always been, Conrad knew how to read moods, even if it did mean that everyone's drinks turned sour. "Come on, guys." said Jerome. "Let's forget the sad stuff for now. Drinks on me!" "Now yer talkin!" shouted Mortimer as he raised his glass into the air. As the laughter in the air rang your ears, Lyla drew closer to you. "Hey," she began. "What do you plan on doing now? Gonna migrate to DMM?" You shrug in response. You honestly didn't know whether you were ready to move on and abandon the memories just yet. "Well, if you decide to do so and you see me on the other side, don't forget to become bandits with me, ya hear?!" replied Lyla with a wide grin on her face. Something tells you she's hiding her true feelings from you. She's one of the toughest bandits that you knew. How could she ever show weakness at a time like this? "Well, the Prince has other matters to attend." announced Jerome. "We'll be going first." "Hey Prince!" shouted Conrad from his table. "If ya ever decide ta go to DMM, I'll still be hauntin' yer gacha summons, ya got that?!" You laugh wryly in acknowledgement and walked away to leave. As your footsteps drew further away from the pub, the laughter inside was still as loud as ever. Barracks You enter the sleeping quarters of the soldiers, looking over their perfectly kept bunk beds. Even at a time like this, they still fix their beds in the morning. "Didn't expect to see you here, your Highness." said a familiar voice behind him. Looking back, he saw Lieutenant Aria and Crave standing in the doorway. These two have been in your army for far too long. Their service has been critical in the earlier days of the war against the monsters. You ask them about the neatly folded blankets on the soldiers' bunk beds. "Well, we've always taught the soldiers to have their beds well-kept at all times." answered Crave. "Reflects discipline among the ranks. It also keeps the men calm at times like this." Of course the men would be shocked by the news. Anyone would. You thank both of the soldiers in front of you for all their work in preserving the Kingdom's interests. "Don't be like that," said Aria. "It's been an honor serving nobility like yourself, my Prince." "She's right, your Highness." agreed Crave. "Without you, this Kingdom wouldn't even be standing as it is today." You tell them how it didn't sit right with you that you had to leave before finishing the war and bringing peace to the Kingdom. "Don't worry," assured Aria. "We'll manage the war effort somehow." Tears started rolling down her eyes. "We'll always welcome you back once you're ready to lead us again!" declared Crave, blowing his nose against his handkerchief as he did so. "There, there." said Jerome, "The Prince has a bigger role to fulfill now. We should be supportive of him." ".....That's right." said Aria. "If the Prince has to go away somewhere, it must be for the greater good!" cried Crave. You bid them farewell and exited the barracks. Your feet started to feel heavier with each step. "You seem tired, my Prince." said Jerome, looking concerned. "Would you like to eat something at the mess hall, first?" You agreed and followed him down to the source of some sweet smelling apple pie. Mess Hall To be honest, you didn't have the appetite to eat anything. The impending end of the game you once so loved was drawing near, leaving your gut feeling queasy. But you still wanted to go with Jerome to the Mess Hall. There was someone there whose apple pie you couldn't forget. "Hi, Prince!~" a high-pitched voice came from the kitchen. Looking towards the source, you see a pair of familiar cat-ears poking out from the purple head of a beastkin in an apron. You nod to Bashira in acknowledgement and say hello. Cat girls were one of your more unknown fetishes so it really hits you hard that you wouldn't see her anymore, but no one else needs to know that. "I'm just about done baking my homemade apple pie." she said, puffing her chest proudly. "Just sit there and wait~" With that, she went back into the kitchen to watch the oven, her apron still emphasizing her surprisingly bountiful hips. "She's pretty chipper today, huh?" said Jerome looking at her. You nod in agreement and ask her what's got her still smiling despite everything that's about to happen. Jerome could only shake his head. "She still doesn't believe that you're leaving for good. We tried telling her several times already, but then she'd start getting angry and would tell us to stop lying so blatantly in front of her." So she's still in denial, you thought. After all this time, she never understood how and why someone like you would abandon them. After all, you promised to taste her cooking for a long time, and you've never really broken promises before. Until now. "All done!~" announced Bashira as she came out of the kitchen, carrying with her what seemed to be an apple pie. She set it down on the table and stared at your face, eager to hear what you had to say about her cooking skills. You tell her that her cooking was great as always, and that made her ears perk up. "Right?~" she said, her smile beaming brightly. "By the way, did you know everyone was making up a lie about you leaving for good? They were so mean to me and insisted that it was true." She then looked at your eyes with a longing expression. "But I know the truth. You're not someone who'd leave us so suddenly like that, right?" You turned to look away. You couldn't bear to see the innocent look of her face - like how a puppy would look at its owner whenever he went away. "N-No way......" muttered Bashira. Right there and then, all the color from her face drained away. "Now, now..." began Jerome. "Let's talk things through and-" "WHY?!" Bashira cut him off, no longer being able to contain her feelings. "Did we do something wrong? Is there anything we did that displeased you?!" Tears started to drip from her eyes. She held your hand tightly before speaking the most painful words you heard today. "...Was I not good enough?" This was the archer that helped you clear mobs of enemies even up to the latter days of the war against the monsters. She laughed, cried, and bled with you, like all the others. Of course she did more than good enough. You assure her that it was not her or anyone in the Kingdom's fault. "...Then why are you leaving?" she asked, wiping her tears away. You tell her about the impending shutdown of MWA, just like everyone else had tried to tell her. "Why should that mean that we never get to see each other again?!" she cried. "What gives them the right to separate us?!" "Calm down, Bashira!" exclaimed Jerome. "We can't just overturn a decision like that, and neither can they." "But.....but.....I still can't accept it...." Bashira's voice trailed off as she fell to her knees. You reach out to her to try consoling her, but she swats your hand away. "I'll be fine!" she cried. "I...I just need some time.....to myself..." There was a loud silence in the mess hall as the beastkin in front of you continued to cry her eyes out. "Okay..." Jerome spoke up after some time. "I'll be escorting the Prince around today. Tell us if you need anything else...." Bashira didn't respond. Both you and Jerome decided to leave her there and let her collect her thoughts. The half-eaten apple pie letting out its sweet aroma still sat there on the table. Training Grounds The sound of clanging swords in the training grounds is always nostalgic to you. You remember all those newbie moments when you sacrificed silver unit duplicates because you didn't know what they were used for, or when you foolishly used Sacred Crystals to do story missions with Charisma. You were cringing from having to remember all these noob moments when you hear heavy footsteps behind you. You turn around to see two enormous twins towering over you. "What do you think you're doing here lollygagging?" asked one of the giants. You were dumbfounded at the sight of these two unknown beings that all that came out of your mouth was pure gibberish. "Hey!" shouted the twins. "My eyes are up here!" You look further above and sighed in relief once you realized that it was just Deine. "Oh, it was Deine! I was so surprised to see two giant mounds talking." you somehow said out loud. You were sent flying across the floor 0.3 seconds later. "Of course it's me!" she barked. "Make that mistake again and you'll get hurt!" It's kinda pointless to say that considering that she hurt you already, you thought Your face still hurt as you quickly picked yourself up and apologized to her. "You're too brash about this, commander." said Gellius, who walked up behind her. "I mean, you DID kinda appear out of nowhere..." "This is the Prince we're talking about!" she exclaimed. "He should have the awareness of one. If it was someone other than me who did it, it could've ended really badly for him." Still as stern as ever, you thought. Even in training she insists on wearing full battle armor. You shudder to think how much weight all that metal would be bearing down on her, wondering exactly how she manages to carry herself around with that as well as her giant mace which Aigis knows no one else in the Kingdom could manage to carry. "Looks like a lively training session, no?" mentioned Jerome. You honestly forgot he was there given how quiet he was the whole time. "Ending or not, we can't let the soldiers neglect training." said Gellius. "At least that's what the commander and I think." Admirable, yes. But you don't know what good it would do considering that they'll soon be nothing more than dumped codes in the game files. You mention to them about MWA's impending shutdown because it's just too sad to see. "We are all soldiers of the Lost Kingdom's Army." declared Deine. "Whether or not our existence will soon be no longer necessary, we must work hard towards training our body and soul to be able to defend our sovereign to the very end..." She then paused, grinding her teeth to the next words that seemed too hard to say. "...Otherwise, what would be our purpose?.." You clenched your fists at your powerlessness to do anything for her. You wish you could fight; to do something to somehow get the Devs' decision to change. Aigis knows you would if you could. "An army without a purpose is just a multitude of mercenaries waiting to be hired." Gellius spoke up. "Men with armor, but no honor. This way, we may maintain our dignity as soldiers of the Lost Kingdom's Army. And to many of us, that is enough." "Is that what you believe, Gellius?" asked Jerome. "That is so." he replied. You commend the two Heavy Infantry in front of you for their dedication to protect the interests of the Kingdom. Gellius and Deine both pump their hands on their chests in salute. ""It is an honor to serve under your banner, Prince!"" "..Well, we'll let you two get back to training the troops, then." said Jerome. "The Prince still has other matters to attend to for now." Both of the nod and walk away towards the men grunting and sweating during the warm-up exercises. "Hey, you!" barked Deine at one of the exhausted soldiers. "You expect to defend the Kingdom when you couldn't even do a hundred situps?!" "N-No, commander!" stuttered the poor trainee. "I-It's just that-" "No excuses!" Deine then turned to the other soldiers. "Because your comrade here is collapsing to warm-ups, the rest of you get to do three laps around the castle!" "N-No way...." you see one of the men panicking, the color from his face draining from fatigue. "No complaints!" she shouted. "Get your asses moving!!" "Y-Yes, ma'am!" they all replied. You silently pray for all the sad schmucks training under Deine and walk away with Jerome. Sea of Bytes After several weeks have passed, the inhabitants of the Lost Kingdom slowly but surely started fading away. Some by chance, some by choice. Looking around, not even the maids who keps your bedchambers tidy to the last day were present anymore. It was just you, Anna, Jerome, and Katie left. "Well, everything has been taken care of. The knights have all bade their farewell, the spirits gave us their final blessings, all that jazz." Announced Jerome as he walked in the throne room - the last room that was still intact in the game. "Hmph." puffed Katie. "Even that ruffian Conrad delivered the last of the gold he and his band of theives had owed the kingdom for their crimes." "Oh my!" exclaimed Anna. "Those wouldn't be of use by then." "Well, it's the gesture that counts." replied Jerome. "The final penance of a dying man, huh?" muttered Katie. "At least he went out with his pride intact." "He isn't dead, Katie." Jerome retorted. "He's just a part of the memory dump now." "Same difference." You order both of them to stop their bickering. This was not the time for fighting between allies. "Sorry, my Prince." Katie apologized. Still, you couldn't help but thank Conrad in your head for saying goodbye, in his own way. "We don't have much time anymore." said Jerome, looking at his pocketwatch. "A few moments left till the game servers shut down." "I see." said Katie. "Well, I guess now's the time." "Yep" replied Jerome. He turned back to you. "Well Prince," he began. "With that, we'll be going first." You get up from your throne, surprised and bewildered by his announcement. "Well, we can't go out after you." he said. "And it looks like YOU'LL need more time." You open your mouth to speak, but no words came out. You lower your head, acknowledging the fact that they'll be going before you. Katie and Jerome kneel, their heads bowed down. "We will always remember this kingdom, and all that you've done to raise it to its greatness until the end!" they both say in unison. "It was an honor to serve as your aides!" All you could do was reply that it was an honor to have been served by the most trustworthy aides. With that, they both get up and walk towards the door. "Hey Prince," called Jerome as he opened the door. "If we get transported to a different game, buy me a drink if you see me, yeah?" You chuckled and agreed in reply. Then, both Katie and Jerome evaporate into data fragments before your eyes, joining the hundreds of others floating outside the throne room. Anna looks to you. "Well, I guess I'll be going, too." You grab Anna's wrist tightly, emotions swirling inside you. "Come now, don't do that," said Anna, her voice faltering. "Leaving is already hard as it is." You look up and you see Anna's face, so much tears flowing from her eyes. You couldn't help but begin tearing up yourself. "Do you remember the first time we met?" she asked. If you recall correctly, the first time would have been outside the kingdom, where all those monsters were attacking. "We were cut off, and I only gave you my general knowledge on how to fight the monsters." she said. "But as I saw how you managed to fend them off, I also saw the strength of the man destined to save the kingdom." She clasps your hands tightly and looks into your eyes. "Even now, I believe in that strength." Your tears well up further and further the more she speaks. "But now you need to be stronger than you've ever been.....for all of us......" she couldn't keep up her composure and fell to her knees. You kneel down beside her, comforting her. "For the rest of us, we belong here in the game...." she said. "But you are different. Your life beyond this world is far greater than any of us could comprehend." She places her hands on your cheek. "That's why you have to live on. For all our sakes." She draws close and brings her lips to yours. It was both the warmest and saddest kiss you've ever had. You tell Anna that you'll never forget MWA, that you'll never forget your comrades who fought, celebrated, bled, and died by your side.... ....that you'll never forget her. She giggles weakly. "Of course you won't" she replied. "I'm sure of that." She looks at you deeply once more. "Prince, I lov-" have now shut down. Thank you for playing Millennium War Aigis. We hope to see you again! -Nutaku ... ... As your eyes stare blankly at the monitor, you couldn't help but feel that part of you had just died. And that it would take a while to get over what just happened. ... ... Epilogue ---Six months later--- ... ... Your level has increased to 180! Charisma and stamina refilled! "Wow!" said a familiar voice. "It's only been 2 months since you started, but you've already come such a long way!" You turn around to face Anna. That's right. You've only recently started playing MWA on the DMM server. "Normally, it takes a while for others to progress so quickly." she said. "However, you really blew past the others in terms of that. It's as if you've been doing this for a long time!" You chuckle in reply. Yes. For a long time. For far too long..... "What's wrong, my Prince?" asked Anna. "You're spacing out on me." You tell her it's nothing and continued to do the next mission. "H-Hey wait up, my Prince." shouted Anna as she ran after you. Your journey to save the Lost Kingdom has only begun. Category:Blog posts